Limbo dancing

Pfizer Inc.'s decision to acquire Wyeth rippled quickly through the biotech industry, as Crucell N.V. announced that Wyeth withdrew from discussions regarding a potential combination of the two companies. While most of Wyeth's partners will have to wait and see if they are affected, looking at the disease targets that Pfizer has already identified as strategically important indicates that some Wyeth partners are sitting more comfortably than others.

Last month, Crucell disclosed it was in friendly discussions about a possible acquisition by Wyeth. The pharma had previously licensed Crucell's PER.C6 cell line and AdVac recombinant adenoviral vector technology, and last year the companies partnered to develop an undisclosed vaccine (see BioCentury, Jan. 12)...